Ai'ttl 

AMERICAN  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION 

78  EAST  WASHINGTON  STREET 

CHICAGO 


February,  1916. 

To  the  Librarian: 

At  the  meeting  of  the  A.  L.  A.  Council,  December  31,  1914,  a “Form  for  Library 
Statistics,”  drawn  up  by  the  Committee  on  Library  Administration  was  adopted  with 
the  recommendations: 

1.  That  the  submitted  form  be  adopted  by  free  public  libraries. 

2.  That  once  a year  the  secretary  send  a copy  to  each  chief  librarian  or  library 

member  of  the  association,  with  a request  that: 

(a)  Each  library  fill  out  the  form  and  return  it  to  headquarters  as  soon 
as  possible  after  the  close  of  the  library’s  fiscal  year. 

(b)  Each  library  publishing  a report,  print  in  the  appendix  thereof  the 
library’s  statistics  arranged  in  accordance  with  the  A.  L.  A.  form, 

3.  That  headquarters  tabulate  the  reports  of  libraries  reporting  on  the  form  and 

that  such  tabulation  be  included  in  the  annual  report  of  the  secretary. 

In  accordance  with  these  recommendations  the  secretary  sent  out  the  “Form” 
a year  ago  to  about  800  libraries  and  received  replies  from  85  public  libraries  and 
about  20  institutional  libraries.  The  statistics  of  the  former  were  printed  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Berkeley,  1915,  Conference. 

A committee  was  later  appointed  representing  college  and  reference  libraries  to 
draft  a form  adapted  to  those  classes  of  libraries,  and  the  report  of  this  committee 
was  presented  to  the  College  and  Reference  Section  of  the  A.  L.  A.  at  the  Berkeley 
Conference.  This  report  recommended  that  forms  adapted  to  both  public  libraries  and 
institutional  libraries  be  merged  in  a single  schedule,  and  the  section  voted  that  this 
single  schedule  be  tried  for  one  year. 

The  form  here  sent  is  therefore  adapted,  it  is  believed,  to  the  needs  of  both  public 
and  institutional  libraries  and  so  it  is  earnestly  requested  that  all  librarians  fill  it 
out  to  the  best  of  their  ability  and  return  it  to  the  secretary  of  the  A.  L.  A.  It  is 
sent  in  duplicate  in  order  that  one  copy  may  be  retained. 

In  consequence  of  the  merging  of  questions  applying  both  to  public  and  institu- 
tional libraries  it  is  not  expected  that  any  one  library  will  answer  all  the  questions 
here  asked.  Each  librarian  is  asked  merely  to  answer  those  which  apply  to  his  own 
library,  and  pass  over  those  which  do  not  apply.  For  example,  it  is  not  expected  that 
The  John  Crerar  Library,  of  Chicago,  will  make  a report  on  “Total  number  of  volumes 
lent  for  home  use,”  or  that  the  public  library  in  a small  town  will  record  the  “Number 
of  photographic  reproductions  supplied.” 

: We  wish  strongly  to  urge  libraries  which  print  their  annual  reports  to  include 

therein  their  statistics  presented  according  to  the  A.  L.  A.  form.  This  very  greatly 
facilitates  comparison. 

Please  do  not  fail  to  return  a copy  of  this  form,  properly  filled  out,  to  the  secre- 
tary of  the  A.  L.  A.  not  later  than  May  1,  1916,  in  order  that  the  statistics  may,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  be  printed  in  connection  with  the  annual  report  of  the  secretary.  * 

Very  truly  yours, 

GEORGE  B.  UTLEY, 

Secretary. 


FOKM  FOR  LIBRARY  STATISTICS. 

Compiled  by  tbe 

A.  L.  A.  Committee  on  Library  Administration. 

(Each  library  using  this  schedule  is  expected  to  omit  all  headings  which  have  no  reference  to  its 
work  and  to  condense  all  which  to  them  are  Insignificant  under  the  nearest  general  heading.  An 
attempt  has  been  made  to  suggest  typographically  the  most  desirable  general  headings.) 

Animal  report  for  year  ended 
Name  of  library 
Name  of  librarian 

City  or  town  State 

Population  served  (latest  statistics  or  estimate — state  which) 

Terms  of  use — 

Free  for  lending 

Free  for  reference 

Free  to  limited  class,  as  students 

Subscription 

(Underscore  words  that  apply) 

Total  number  of  agencies 

Consisting  of — Central  library 

Branches  (How  many  occupy  separate  buildings?) 

Stations 

Department  libraries 

Other  agencies  (Subdivide:  schools,  clubs,  traveling  libraries,  etc.;  also 
state  number  of  school  rooms  and  collections) 

(See  definition  A) 

Number  of  days  open  during  year  (Central  library) 

Hours  open  each  week  for  lending  (Central  library) 

Hours  open  each  week  for  reading  (Central  library) 

Total  number  of  staff  (counting  as  full  time,  adding  together  those  giving  less 
than  full  time  as  fractions  and  reporting  nearest  whole  number) 

Total  valuation  of  library  property 

INCREASE  Adult  Juvenile  Total 

Number  of  volumes  at  beginning  of  year 
Number  of  volumes  added  during  year  by  purchase 
Number  of  volumes  added  during  year  by  gift  and 
exchange 

Number  of  volumes  added  during  year  by  provision  of  law  (For 
state  libraries,  government  depositories,  etc.) 

Number  of  volumes  added  during  year  by  binding  material  not 
otherwise  counted 

Number  of  volumes  lost  or  withdrawn  during  year 

Total  number  at  end  of  year 

Number  of  pamphlets  at  beginning  of  year 
Number  of  pamphlets  added  during  year 
Number  of  pamohlets  withdrawn  during  year 
Total  number  of  pamphlets  at  end  of  year 
(See  definition  B) 

Number  of  serials  add.d  during  year 
Total  number  of  serials  at  end  of  year 
Number  of  maps  added  during  year 
Total  number  of  maps  at  end  of  year 
Number  of  manuscripts  added  during  year 
Total  number  of  manuscripts  at  end  of  year 
Number  of  photographs  added  during  year 
Total  number  of  photographs  at  end  of  year 
Number  of  plates  added  during  year 
Total  number  of  plates  at  end  of  year 


Adult 

Juvenile 

2 


Number  of  sheets  of  music  added  during  year 
Total  number  of  sheets  of  music  at  end  of  year 
Number  of  clippings  added  during  year 
Total  number  of  clippings  at  end  of  year 

Other  additions  (This  item  to  include  all  of  foregoing  which  are  too  insignificant  for  mention  tor 
any  library) 

(See  definition  of  “added”  and  “additions”  C) 


USE 

Total  recorded  use  (number  of  volumes  lent  for  home 
use  and  number  used  in  building) 

Total  number  of  volumes  lent  for  home  use 

Number  of  volumes  of  fiction  lent  for  home  use 

Number  of  volumes  sent  to  agencies 

(See  rules  for  counting  circulation  D) 

Number  of  prints  lent  for  home  use 
Number  of  music  rolls  lent  for  home  use 
Number  of  restricted  loans  (e.g.,  Over-night) 

Number  of  interlibrary  loans 

Other  circulation  (sheet  music,  clippings,  etc. — enumerate) 


Adult 

Juvenile 

Total 

Recorded  use  in  reading  rooms  (specify  method  of  computation  and  divide,  if 
wished,  into  classes) 

Number  of  photographic  reproductions  supplied 
Number  of  exhibitions  held 
Number  of  lectures  given 
Number  of  publications  issued 

REGISTRATION  Adu.t  Juvenile 

Number  of  borrowers  registered  during  year 
Total  number  of  registered  borrowers 

Registration  period,  years  

Number  of  periodicals  (including  newspapers  and  transactions  of  societies) 
currently  received 

(€rive  both  number  of  titles  and  copies — ^not  pieces) 


Adult 

Juvenile 

(Give  number  only  and  refer  to 
page  of  report  for  details.  ' 


Number  of  other  serials 


Number  of  persons  using  library  for  reading  and  study 

(Total  figures  of  attendance  in  reading  rooms,  if  kept) 

FINANCE 


RECEIPTS  PROM 

Unexpended  balance 

Local  taxation 

Grants  from  state,  county,  city,  etc. . . . 

Grants  from  colleges,  societies,  etc 

Endowment  funds,  net 

Fees  from  members,  students,  occa- 
sional readers,  etc 

Fines  and  sales  of  publications 

Diiplicate  pay  collections 

Other  sources  (If  extraordinary,  enum- 
erate and  state  objects) 


Total $ 

Of  which  is  required  to  be  spent  for 


books  (or  books  and  periodicals) 


PAYMENTS  FOR 

Maintenance $ 


Books  

Periodicals  

Other  serials 

Salaries,  library  service 

Salaries,  other  service  (business.  Jani- 
tor, engineers,  etc.) 

Taxes  

Insurance  

Rent  

Heat  

Light  

Other  maintenance 


Total  maintenance 

Extraordinary — such  as 

Sites  

New  buildings 

Additions  to  buildings 

Other  unusual  expenses 


Grand  total $ 


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NOTES,  DEFINITIONS,  RULES 

A.  Branches,  Stations  and  Other  Agencies 

(Definitions  based  on  Miss  Eastman’s 
**Branch  libraries  and  other  distributing 
agencies.”  A.  L.  A.  Manual  of  Library 
Economy,  ch.  15.) 

A branch  is  an  auxiliary  library,  com- 
plete in  itself,  having  its  own  permanent 
collection  of  books,  either  occupying  a 
separate  building  or  housed  in  one  or  more 
rooms  in  a school,  park  or  field  house, 
social  settlement,  parish  house,  rented 
store,  etc.,  and  administered  as  an  inte- 
gral part  of  the  library  system,  i.  e.,  by 
a paid  staff.  To  rank  as  a branch  its 
hours  of  opening  should  approximate  those 
of  the  central  library. 

Stations  include  deposit  and  delivery 
stations.  Deposit  stations  consist  of  small 
collections  of  books  (from  200  to  several 
hundred  volumes)  sent  for  an  indefinite 
term  to  a store,  school,  factory,  club,  etc. 
The  collections  are  frequently  changed; 
the  station  has  some  permanency.  A sta- 
tion may  be  in  charge  of  an  assistant  sent 
from  the  central  library  or  neighboring 
branch,  or  a trained  librarian  employed  at 
the  expense  of  a cooperating  institution 
or  society,  an  office  employe  of  a factory, 
or  a volunteer  worker.  Delivery  stations 
have  no  books  on  deposit  but  fill  orders 
from  a central  stock. 

Other  agencies.  These  embrace  for  the 
most  part  agencies  to  which  traveling 
libraries  are  sent;  the  largest  number  of 
such  traveling  libraries  (20  to  50  or  more 
books)  go  to  school  rooms  of  grade 
schools.  They  include  also  fire  engine 
houses,  police  stations,  factories,  clubs, 
missions,  settlements,  home  libraries,  etc. 
For  the  purposes  of  this  report  and  to 
avoid  inflated  figures,  each  separate  box 
of  books  should  not  be  counted  but  only 
the  different  institutions  to  which  books 
are  sent.  In  the  case  of  collections  sent 
to  schools,  each  building  should  be  counted 
but  once,  though  the  report  should  also 
give  the  number  of  separate  collections 
and  the  number  of  different  rooms  served. 

B.  Volumes  and  Pamphlets 

(Baaed  on  Biscoe,  “Pamphlets,”  World’s 
Lib.  Cong.  Papers,  826.) 


A pamphlet  is  a printed  work  consisting 
of  one  or  more  sheets  of  paper  fastened 
together,  but  not  bound.  Unbound  serials 
and  sequents  which  as  issued  are  intended 
to  form  component  parts  of  a larger  vol- 
ume are  not  to  be  considered  as  pamph- 
lets. 

A volume  is  any  printed  work  bound  in 
stiff  covers  so  as  to  stand  on  a shelf;  also 
unbound  books  of  over  100  pages. 

C.  Added  and  Additions 

Volumes,  pamphlets,  etc.,  are  to  be  con- 
sidered as  “added”  to  a library  only  when 
they  are  available  for  use;  they  are  not 
to  be  considered  as  “additions”  if  they  are 
simply  in  the  possession  of  the  library, 
but  not  yet  in  use. 

D.  Rules  for  Counting  Circulation 

(Where  the  word  “book”  is  used,  the 
rules  should  be  understood  as  applying 
also  to  pamphlets  and  periodicals.) 

1.  The  circulation  shall  be  accurately 
recorded  each  day,  counting  one  for  each 
lending  for  home  use  of  a bound  volume, 
pamphlet  or  periodical.  Supplemental  fig- 
ures recording  (each  group  separately) 
the  circulation  of  prints,  music  rolls,  or 
other  material,  are  also  desirable. 

2.  Renewal  of  a book  under  library 
rules  at  or  near  the  end  of  regular  terms 
of  issue  shall  also  be  counted,  but  no 
increase  shall  be  made  because  books  are 
read  by  others  or  for  any  other  reason. 

3.  The  act  of  sending  books  from  the 
library  to  an  agency  of  any  kind  shall  not 
be  regarded  as  an  issue  to  be  counted  in 
the  circulation,  but  the  number  of  books 
sent  to  such  agencies  shall  be  reported 
separately. 

4.  In  all  cases  books  issued  from  an 
agency  for  home  use  shall  be  ‘counted 
only  according  to  the  reported  circulation, 
disregarding  the  act  of  sending  them  from 
the  library  to  the  agency  and  disregarding 
their  use  at  the  agency.  In  no  case  shall 
there  be  any  estimation  of  circulation. 

5.  If  it  is  found  necessary  to  depart 
from  these  rules  in  any  way,  such  depart- 
ure shall  be  plainly  stated  in  a footnote 
to  the  published  report. 


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